MA / JD

Dual Degree in Law & Bioethics - Erin

Erin is one of our many dual degree students at Case Western Reserve University. She's finishing her MA in Bioethics and Medical Humanities while also earning her JD law degree at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

This program combines the Master of Arts in Bioethics and Medical Humanities with the Doctor of Jurisprudence and is offered in cooperation with the School of Law. Advances in health sciences have created new and difficult moral choices for individuals, their families, and the health professionals who work with them.

The Department of Bioethics is dedicated to responding to the challenge of health care choices faced in today's society. It focuses on the ethical, cultural, and policy dimensions of health care, technology, and the life sciences. Professionals from many arenas, including public health, prevention sciences, health sciences, the life sciences, and the social sciences have contributed to and drawn from the field of Bioethics.

The JD Degree is a terminal degree; persons with the degree may pursue a variety of career paths. The MA in Bioethics and Medical Humanities is considered a supplemental degree— it enhances careers in other fields. The combined JD/MA program provides excellent preparation for students who desire to practice health law by giving law students firsthand experience in multiple health care settings. It is designed to help students identify and assess challenges facing the medical and health law professions in the coming decades, and explore a broad range of health law and policy issues. The program emphasizes the interdisciplinary and inter-professional nature of the field, and includes a significant clinical component.

Students must apply and be accepted to each degree program to qualify. New students can apply to both programs simultaneously; current law students may apply before the end of their first year. Students are expected to complete course requirements for the two degrees in either three-and-one half years, or three years combined with some summer school work. The curriculum for this dual degree program begins with one year of full-time study in law school.

The Department of Bioethics accepts 6 credits of elective law courses toward MA elective requirements. The law school accepts 12 credits of the required Foundations in Bioethics I and II courses as law elective credits toward the JD degree.

For more information about this program, contact Professor Jessica Berg, Associate Director of the Law-Medicine Center, 216.368.6363, jessica.berg@case.edu. To receive an application for law school, call 216.368.3600 or send an email request to: lawadmissions@case.edu.